Demand Al Jazeera

I want you to get mad! I’m not going to rehash the whole scene from “Network” or ask you to go to the window, but some passion would be helpful, because it is time to demand Al Jazeera Engish.

My earlier post about Egypt and Al Jazeera touched on the difficult but necessary task of bringing AJE to US viewers. Now AJE is giving American viewers a way to spur the process. Al Jazeera reaches 190 million people in English, but is only available in a few pockets around the US.

To organize demand in the US, Al Jazeera launched a #demandaljazeera campaign on twitter, encouraged community meetings, and provided pre-written letters viewers can send to their cable company. So far, over 33,000 letters have been generated.

Al Jazeera’s coverage of the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt has attracted a great deal of attention from viewers and the media. Many media members joined the #demandaljazeera campaign wrote in support of bringing the station to the US. The Washington Post blog made a compelling case, and included a great deal of information as well as a challenge for cable companies to expand their public service. Below are a few other articles written on the topic.

For more coverage, Al Jazeera has a list of articles about the organization and its attempt to find an American audience. To take part in the demand Al Jazeera campaign, check out the website. If we are serious about gaining a clearer worldview, these are the types of steps that need to be taken.